110 MEMOIR OF AUGUSTUS DE MORGAN. 



1841. jection of the use of negative quantities in algebraic 

 operations being probably the result of the same straight- 

 forwardness and clearness rather than great depth of 

 intellect, which had led him, with more show of reason, to 

 reject the doctrine of the Trinity in the form in which he 

 had received it. 



He was an upright and noble-minded man, generous 

 and disinterested to a fault, if that can be, with a vigorous 

 perceptive mind, but little imagination. His religion was 

 real and practical ; and his death was an event to which 

 he had always looked forward with cheerfulness and happy 

 anticipation. My husband wrote a short biography for 

 the Athenaeum, and a longer one to the Astronomical 

 Society's Obituary Notices. 



Mr. De Morgan was at this time, I think, consult- 

 ing actuary to the Family Endowment Assurance Office, 

 which afterwards merged with another office in the 

 Mutual. I do not think he held this place more than two 

 years. 

 Accident to During this summer an accident occurred which nearly 



Francis 



proved fatal to our friend Mr. Francis Baily. He was 

 crossing Wellington Street, Strand, when a man on horse- 

 back, riding furiously, knocked him down and stunned 

 him. He was taken in an unconscious state to the Charing 

 Cross Hospital, and was found to have a severe scalp 

 wound and to be a good deal bruised. As soon as he 

 could bear the removal he was taken home to Tavistock 

 Place ; and after a few weeks his recovery seemed to be 

 complete, though he remained weak for some time. But 

 the injury to the head left more serious results than were 

 expected, for it is most probable that the disease of which 

 he died three years after, and which is now believed to be 

 often the result of a shock to the nervous system, was 

 caused by this blow. My husband was, as were all Mr. 

 Baily's friends, extremely anxious as to the possible con- 

 sequences ; but their anxiety was allayed when he got up 

 again, received his friends, resumed his work on the 



